Will There Be a ‘When Calls the Heart’ Christmas Special in 2021?
It looks like it’s going to be another Christmas without a visit to Hope Valley. Hallmark Channel has revealed its annual holiday movie lineup, and for the second year in a row, no When Calls the Heart Christmas special is included in the schedule.
‘When Calls the Heart’ Christmas special is missing from this year’s ‘Countdown to Christmas’ lineup
So far, Hallmark Channel has revealed titles and air dates for 30 brand-new holiday movies. “Countdown to Christmas” began Oct. 22 with You, Me & The Christmas Trees and goes through Dec. 19, concluding with the premiere of ‘Tis the Season to Be Merry. Among this year’s highlights are new movies starring Candace Cameron Bure and Lacey Chabert and a sequel to 2020’s The Christmas House.
Unfortunately for Hearties, a new When Calls the Heart Christmas special isn’t on this year’s holiday movie calendar. In past years, holiday-themed episodes of the frontier-set drama have aired on Christmas Day. But the special was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. And it appears that it won’t be back this year, either. (As a consolation, however, we do know that When Calls the Heart Season 9 will have 12 rather than the usual 10 episodes.)
There will be a ‘When Hope Calls’ Christmas special
While there won’t be When Calls the Heart special to look forward to this year, there is something for Hearties to smile about. A second season of the When Calls the Heart spinoff series When Hope Calls premieres Dec. 18 with a two-part, Christmas-themed episode.
In When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas, the residents of Brookfield are putting on a holiday festival in the hopes of winning the title of America’s No. 1 country Christmas town. Unfortunately, not everyone is feeling the seasonal spirit, including a troubled young boy at Lillian’s (Morgan Kohan) orphanage. But then a secret Santa arrives to grant everyone’s holiday wishes.
The When Hope Calls Christmas special marks Lori Loughlin’s return to acting following the completion of her prison sentence for her role in the college admissions scandal. She’ll reprise her role as Abigail Stanton in the episode. Her adopted son Cody (Carter Ryan) will also appear. In addition, fans can look forward to an appearance by former When Calls the Heart star Daniel Lissing, who will play an as-yet-unrevealed character in the special.
When Hope Calls: A Country Christmas airs Saturday, Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET on GAC Family.
How to watch old ‘When Calls the Heart’ Christmas specials
While there won’t be a new When Calls the Heart Christmas special this year, you can revisit the magic of the show’s old holiday episodes. All five Christmas specials — New Year’s Wish, When Calls the Heart Christmas, The Christmas Wishing Tree, The Greatest Christmas Blessing, and Home for Christmas are available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.
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